King Theoderich of Ostgoten and Queen Juana of Spain, from the Tomb of Maximilian, Hofkirche, Innsbruck, Austria 1870 - 1871

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent’s drawing of King Theoderich and Queen Juana, studies for the Tomb of Maximilian. There's something so immediate about seeing these historical figures sketched like this, almost like a snapshot. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: The stark simplicity, perhaps? Sargent's captured a sense of regal permanence, but with such fleeting lines. The cross-hatching almost gives the figures a ghostly presence. It’s like they’re fading back into the marble they came from. It makes me wonder if Sargent felt the weight of history bearing down on him, or if he was just trying to capture a likeness. What do you think? Editor: Maybe a little of both? It's definitely thought-provoking. Curator: Absolutely. It’s a drawing that keeps whispering secrets the more you look.